Lavender and Chocolate
by WarriorPup
Summary: Still recovering from his chaotic reunion with Penny, In the comfort of his home, Bolt battles agaisnt isolation, traumatic memories, and a relentless Beast hunting him down. Without his powers to save him, how will he defeat this new threat? Read and review! -All characters belong to Disney.-


Bolt was trapped, physically frozen in place, as a sea of fire devoured the insides of the studio set he once called home. There was no time to be scared, even though he was terrified, there was no time to think, his instincts were his guide, there was no other option, he had to find her.

_Move! _

He commanded his body, running into the fire's warm embrace, feeling it's deadly touch singe his fur as he sniffed for Penny's scent; but the smoke spreading through the air filled his nostrils. Smelling anything else but the thick fumes was impossible, breathing alone felt like knives to his chest. But he had to push on.

His person needed him.

Bolt's eyes were tearing up as he searched , irritated by the firestorm surrounding him as he traversed the blazing studio set, hell bent on finding Penny at all costs, prepared to sacrifice life and limb for her safety.

"SOMEONE HELP ME!"

His ears shot up.

_Penny_

He stood still, straining to locate the source of the voice as his eyes frantically scanned for any sign of his owner, he found none. But her continued yelling drove him to search on.

The flames seemed to slowly encircle the dog as he crawled under collapsed beams, through scorched concrete that burned the pads of his paws, and around metal catwalks and melting props. All the while taking in small breaths trying to minimize the amount of smoke he inhaled, further hindering his senses, but he had to keep moving; ignoring his bodies cries for rest.

_Hold on Penny!_

He had to find her, their was no other option. Failure was _not_ an option. He paused for a moment, listening for his owner's voice, blocking out the cackling inferno surrounding him.

Silence.

Bolt's heart raced faster as the possibility of losing Penny began to sink in. He tried to find a new path but the fire constricted his movements, backing him into a corner between red hot metal beams and the adjacent wall.

The fire crept closer, his heart beat faster, his hope fell further.

Then he heard it, Penny's voice, calm and sweet like it always was but somewhat distorted, echoing in his mind.

"You couldn't save me."

Again and again and again it replayed in his mind. Bolt howled out in pain as the weight of losing her, the guilt he felt, and the physical tole this endeavor took on his body, crippled him all at once.

Shattering his spirit to dust, tearing his soul to shreds.

_I lost her_.

Fear took ahold of his beating heart, fire was all he saw, kissing him with it's painful touch, engulfing him in it's warm embrace, eating him alive with it's razor sharp teeth.

* * *

Bolt awoke with a yelp, breathing shallow and fast as he took in his surroundings. He saw no flames, he felt no heat, he smelt no smoke. But his feelings were painfully unmistakable and real. For a moment all he could do was sit their and let the fear clutching his heart shoot though his body and mind, waiting for it to subside. When his breathing normalized, he got up from his bed in the corner of the living room, and headed down the hallway. He needed to see her, to snuff out any doubts he had left in his mind, that it was nothing more than a bad dream, maybe then the fear would fade away.

Penny's room wasn't hard to find, the Shepherd could have found it with his eyes shut. He nudged the ajar door open with his snout. The smell of lavender and chocolate filled his nose, Penny's scent. He took a moment breathing in the familiar smell, soothing his frayed nerves as he approached her bed. Using his hind legs he boosted himself up, leaning on the side of her mattress with his fore-paws.

There she was.

Breathing.

Alive.

Bolt let out a sigh, his fears and worry satisfied, and quickly left him. But the pain in his heart lingered on, aching like an open wound. Ears down, head hanging low, tail between his legs, he retreated back to his own bed. As much as he would have loved to cuddle up with her, to be in her safe embrace, he knew better. Ms. Forester no longer allowing him on Penny's bed due to the fur he always left behind.

Defeated, Bolt silently walked back to his lonely bed, isolated from the rest of the family. Rhino always slept on the couch facing the T.V, no surprise there, while Mittens found herself sleeping in the spare bedroom underneath the bed. Bolt circled his own bed once, twice, before settling in for the night, praying to God that he could sleep in peace for a change, but he doubted it. The poor dog was plagued by nightmares multiple times a night since his return home from the set, leaving the sleep deprived canine a mess. His pristine white fur was now matted and stained with old tears, he was noticeably skinnier than before, and was in a zombie-like state during the day. He told his furry companions that he was fine- just tired - which wasn't a lie, but he left out crucial details, details about his night terrors, terrors of the fire; the fire that reduced him to a helpless puppy.

Within minutes, Bolt could feel his eyelids getting heavy again. The heat from his bed and the room he was in, covered him like a blanket. He closed his eyes feeling himself cross over from reality, into his dreamworld. Everything was as it should be, he and Penny were playing in the yard. Mittens and Rhino conversing on the porch, the sun smiling down on them. Bolt smiled letting out a sigh of relief.

like a flash Bolt's world was distorted, mutating into a forest, set ablaze, white smoke billowing up from the trees , and in the center, was him. The flames reflecting off of the whites of his terror filled eyes as it carved through the sea of green trees, closing in on him. He ran faster than he thought possible, desperatly trying to escpae the beast chasing after him.

Another flash. Back at home. Bolt found himself breathing heavily in the wet grass, panic stricken. Penny was waiting for him at the foot of the porch, smiling brightly. Bolt timidly approached his owner, looking around his surroundings to make sure the coast was clear. The forest gone without a trace, the smoke replaced with fluffy clouds in the sky, and the beast was knowhere to be seen. Without wasting another moment he ran to her outstretched arms, Penny embraced him tightly as they collided, giggling as he kissed her face repeatedly. She pulled away, cupping his head between her hands, looking deep into his brown eyes, lovingly.

In the blink of an eye, Penny's face changed, everything changed. Once agian trapped in the infernal studio, the beast was all around them , getting closer with each breath the pair took, destroying anything and everything in it's path. Covered in ash and soot, cuts riddled throughout her skin, panic written all over her face, she kneeled at his paws, holding her dog close, covering their heads as debris showered them from the ceiling. Bolt's heart filled with adrenaline as he looked around at the choas that surronded him. Penny snapped her head back and forth, looking for any way out, before refocusing on Bolt. Holding his head in her hands once more; she spoke in a hurried voice.

"Bolt, look at me." she tried as Bolt squirmed in her grip, whimpering.

"Look at me Bolt... It will be okay." she said trying to calm him down.

"It will be okay." her voice wavered, tears rolling down her cheek.

Bolt let out cries as she held him in her arms. Rubbing his neck soothingly as Bolt tried to get as close as possible to her.

"Your my good boy."

* * *

Bolt's eyes shot open, his heart was racing, rattling against his rib cage, threatening to break through. He crumpled up into a ball, waves of fear washing over him with each unsteady breath. Bolt's vision blurred as tears streamed down his face like raindrops, his heart throbbing in pain. Fire flooded his mind when his eyes did close, leaving him paralyzed, afraid to blink, petrified of what sick twisted hell awaited him in his dreams, if he ever dared to sleep again. Continuing to sob, Bolt desperately tried to fight his bodies relentless urges to go back to sleep, the sleep he so desperatly needed. No. He could'nt handle it, not another one.

And then something changed, the air he breathed _smelled_ different. Something sweet lingered in the air, something calming, something familiar. Bolt looked up from the floor, an angel stood before him, A godsend, an answer to his silent prayers.

"Oh Bolt."

She sighed, looking down at the dishevelled looking dog, noticing the fresh tear streaks that stained his fur; and his eyes, bloodshot. She kneeled down and unfolded the blanket she had brought with her. She sat on his bed, and drapped the blanket over them. Bolt snuggled into her side, whimpering hapilly as she stroked his fur. Craddling him, she began quietly singing to him.

**-The Night We Met- lord hurron-**

"_ooooooh oooh ooh, oooh ooh oooh, oooh ooh oooh, oooh ooh ooh_

_I am not the only traveler_

_Who has not repaid his debt_

_I've been searching for a trail to follow again_

_Take me back to the night we met_

_And then I can tell myself_

_What the hell I'm supposed to do_

_And then I can tell myself_

_Not to ride along with you"_

Looking down momentarily at the dog in her arms, he was noticably calmer, looking up at her as she sang.

_"I had all and then most of you_

_Some and now none of you_

_Take me back to the night we met_

_I don't know what I'm supposed to do_

_Haunted by the ghost of you_

_Oh, take me back to the night we met_

_When the night was full of terrors_

_And your eyes were filled with tears_

_When you had not touched me yet_

_Oh, take me back to the night we met_

_I had all and then most of you_

_Some and now none of you_

_Take me back to the night we met_

_I don't know what I'm supposed to do_

_Haunted by the ghost of you_

_Take me back to the night we met"_

The girl looked down at the now sleeping dog in her arms, and breathed out in relief, satisfued that he would be able to sleep through the night.

"I'll be right here, dont worry." she said kissing Bolt's forhead.

"My good boy." she whispered

Bolt opened up a heavy eye and smiled at her, grateful to be safe in her loving embrace again, before closing his eyes to the world.

There was no fire, no pain, and no fear. There was only the warmth radiating in his chest, the protective arms wrapped around him, and the sweet scent of lavender and chocolate filling the air.

* * *

**_A/N: Hey guys I have to admit I had alot of fun writting this one and am eager to see what you guys think of it? As always thank you for your support and critique, I hope you all enjoy this very much._**

**-****W.P**


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